Ragnar Relays: 200 miles + 12 people + 2 vans = FUN!

Have you ever heard of a Ragnar relay? Unless you're in to running and in to races or events, you've probably never heard about it. The first time I heard about it was back in February when I started running with the Team Essen group in Palm City. Let me be honest, I simply heard about it.  (Reading between the lines, I'm sure you know that that means I knew nothing about it other than the name!)  You know how you hear of something for the first time, and then you see/hear it all over the place?  Yup - that's what started happening!  Be on the lookout for this logo (below).  You might be surprised how often you end up seeing it around.

 

In April, I did the 7 Mile Bridge Run in the Keys, and you know (or at least you should know) that's when my obsession with being part of the Keys100 relay started.  If you didn't follow my Keys100 blog, shame on you...but there's no time like the present to catch up on all of that fun!  Just be sure to read it from the bottom on up to the top so you don't miss out on any of the hilarity.  (Linky: http://kimskeys100adventure.blogspot.com/)  

The Keys100 was a 6-person 100-mile relay from Key Largo to Key West.  I was on a team with 5 Coast Guard members, and we had a beyond fabulous time!!!  (Check out the blog if you think I'm making that up!)  Well, since then, Joan has been wondering if I'd be asked back to be part of Team Cinco next year for the 2014 Keys100.  (Team Cinco, if you're reading this, I'd love, love, love to run with you again!!!)  Well, if you can't tell, no invitation's been extended (yet), but I did get the coolest email just a few days ago from Hans, one of the members of Team Cinco, asking if I'd be interesting in being on a Ragnar relay team.

Let's stop & reflect for a moment.  Do you remember my mom's comment when I told her back in April that I was going to run with people I'd never met?  In case you want to read it, click here.  If you want the summary, I'll give it to you now: "How do they know that you're not 300 pounds and planning to walk the entire thing?"  Obviously I'm not 300 pounds (not that there's anything wrong with that) and obviously I didn't walk the entire time (or at all!) during my portions of the Keys100.  (Yes, there is something wrong with walking during a running race!)  This is where I had my Sally Field moment: "You like me!"

By the way, did you know that she's often misquoted?! No, neither did I!  According to Wikipedia, it's often misquoted as "You like me, you really like me!"  But that's not from when she won the Academy Award!  It's from a spoof that she did of herself in a Charles Schwab commercial.

Ok, so getting back to the email, it was definitely my "You like me!" moment because I got asked to participate in this new relay!  Had I been a crappy runner and/or just a miserable person to be around, you know no invitation for Ragnar would've come my way.  :-)

Are you sitting there wondering what the heck I got myself into with this?  I'm sure the title gave it away, but here's the deal.  Ragnar relays happen all over the US.  (Linky if you'd like to see where they happen: http://www.ragnarrelay.com/events).  What they all have in common is this: it's a 200 mile (give or take) relay of 12 people and it goes throughout the night.  Yes, you read that correctly, running happens around the clock!  I don't yet know which legs I'll get or which times I'll be out running, but you know what?  I don't care!!!!  Maybe I'll be running at 7am.  Cool!  Maybe I'll be running at 4pm.  Good!  Maybe I'll be running at 2am.  Awesome!  (Seriously, I mean "awesome-awesome," not "awesome" in that "I'm really being sarcastic" type of way.)

Every now & then I'll have a Grandma story for you, and I've got the first Ragnar-related one!  Grandma was actually the first person who I told about getting invited to be in this relay.  She's so cute, and her reactions to my crazy adventures usually begin with a slightly exhausted-sounded comment of "Oh, Kim!"  (I can picture her saying that, shaking her head a bit, with a smile that says "you're a trip!")  A few days later, I call her and give her some more info about the race, and she says, "So what did Dave say about this?"  I told her that even though his initial reaction was something along the lines of, "You're doing what?!", he really was fine with it.  So Grandma, in typical Grandma style, says, "Well, if he's ok with it, I'm ok with it."  Ummmmm, shouldn't that be the other way around?!  If Grandma gives her 'ok' to something, then everyone else should be ok w/ it too!  :-)

So over the next 6 months, I'll be blogging about getting ready and other running-related moments.  Like my Keys100 relay, I plan to bring my netbook and blog throughout the race whenever I'm not actually out running.  Bookmark this page, ladies and gentlemen; you'll want to refer back to it every so often up through the beginning of February.  But come February 6th, 7th, and 8th, I expect each & every one of you to be glued to this site!  Post your replies or comments.  Let me know you're with me along the way!